The present invention relates, in general, to probes that are used for forming images of surfaces, and more particularly, to a novel probe for producing thermal and atomic force microscopy images of a surface.
In the past, the semiconductor industry has used atomic force microscopy (AFM) to provide images of semiconductor device surfaces. One problem with prior AFM measurement apparatus and measuring techniques is the inability to provide thermal images of a surface. Often, semiconductor devices have minute defects. When power is applied to the device, a defect can result in overheating and eventual destruction of the semiconductor device. Prior AFM probes typically cannot identify such overheated areas. Additionally, prior AFM probes generally are not capable of correlating overheated areas to topographical surface features.
Accordingly, it is desirable to have an AFM probe that can simultaneously provide a thermal image and topographical image of a surface.